AT&T: Herring $100 Million Suit Is Baseless

AT&T fired back at a lawsuit filed by Herring Networks over carriage issues, calling it baseless and a negotiation tactic. “The lawsuit is baseless. We have offered to carry both channels on DIRECTV at reasonable, market based terms," AT&T responded. "This lawsuit is simply a ploy by Herring to negotiate a slanted deal.”

Herring filed the $100 million lawsuit in a California US District Court, alleging fraud and concealment by AT&T and breach of contract, saying when it renewed its carriage agreement last April, AT&T failed to inform it was planning to acquire DirecTV and "wind down" U-Verse television. It is certainly no secret that AT&T has long been backing off plans to build out U-Verse, but in Feb when reports surfaced it was no longer going to be making U-Verse set-tops, AT&T said it was not winding down the service.